"Quick-cooking" food products are conventionally prepared by boiling in water or exposing the same to steam until a desired amount of moisture is absorbed by the product. The so-called "quick-cooking" varieties of these products are typically prepared by precooking to a predetermined moisture content and subsequently drying to a stable condition prior to sale. Such products can then be recooked particularly rapidly because their pretreatment has rendered them more hygroscopic such that they reabsorb moisture at a faster rate than during conventional cooking.
Several processes have been described in the art for preparing "quick-cooking" food products. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,921 describes a process for rendering brown rice quick cooking which comprises blowing hot air at a temperature of 450.degree. to 600.degree. F. and a velocity of about 2,500 feet per minute through the brown rice for a period of 10 to 30 seconds and immediately thereafter cooling the rice with relatively cool air to prevent overcooking. It is indicated in the patent that the product thus treated is easy to cook.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,514 describes another method for preparing "quick-cooking" rice which comprises hydrating the rice at below the gelatinization temperature to a moisture content of between 25% and 40% and subsequently alternately hydrating the rice with water and then steam at a temperature above about 55.degree. C., finally completing the hydrating process by exposure to alternate steam and water treatments at a temperature below 55.degree. C.
Still another process for preparing "quick-cooking" rice is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,898. According to this patent, the rice is soaked in water then cooked for a predetermined length of time by boiling in water and subsequently dried in a centrifugal fluidizing bed dryer. If desired, the rice after cooking but before drying can be treated with water at ambient temperature to prevent overcooking.
All of these prior art processes require copious amounts of energy to accomplish the preparation of "quick-cooking" food products. In each case, either alternate heating and cooling cycles are utilized or excess moisture is added to the rice during the cooking process which subsequently must be removed during drying at the expense of considerable expenditure of energy. There is also the tendency of the sticky starch product to coat the multiple conveyors which may be employed and other surfaces, a problem alluded to in the '898 patent, requiring frequent washing of equipment or other measures.